Maj Gen Anna Mateisi steps in as the new Ekurhuleni district commissioner

Maj Gen Anna Mateisi has been sworn in as the new Ekurhuleni district commissioner, following the retirement of Maj Gen Vincent Leshabane.

Mateisi brings great experience to the table, having been in the service for 27 years. She joined the police service as a constable in 1994 and was promoted to the rank of a sergeant in 1996.

“In 1999, I was promoted as a warrant officer, which was known as an inspector rank before it was charged,” said Mateisi.

She moved up the managerial ranks as a captain and served as a support head at Ennerdale SAPS, under the Johannesburg district in 2002.

Due to the restructuring process in the SAPS, she was placed at Barrage SAPS in the Sedibeng district.

“I served there until March 1, 2005, when I was promoted to superintendent in Boipatong SAPS and served as the station commander. I got another promotion and moved to the Free State in 2010, where I was a station commander at Ficksburg SAPS. I ranked as a colonel then,” she said.

She was again redeployed to Maokeng SAPS as the station commander.

Mateisi led the biggest police station in Bloemfontein called Pignose SAPS. In 2013, she was redeployed as a cluster commander at Sasolburg.

“In 2014, I got promoted to major general. I was the cluster commander at West Rand,” she said.

She was redeployed to Moroka SAPS in 2019 as a station operational adviser. With the retirement of Leshabane, she was redeployed to fill in as the district commissioner in Ekurhuleni.

A new journey and goals for our new district commissioner

“With the experience that I have of being a station commander as well as a cluster commander, the challenge will not be new. Remember, the district is just a change of name from the cluster. Even though the district is a big area you have to manage, I am confident this will be a successful venture.”

Mateisi said she hopes to implement the strategies that she used in previous clusters to tackle high crime levels.
She said her main objective, for now, is to get a team together, referring to the station, Vispol and branch commanders, the support head, and other law-enforcement agencies (including the metros and the traffic department).

“I have realised that Ekurhuleni has a serious challenge with regards to contact and trio crimes. The contact crimes include assault, gender-based violence (GBV) and attempted murders, while the trio crimes are carjacking, housebreakings and business robberies, “GBV is still a challenge in Ekurhuleni.

Our goal will be to set targets for ourselves and come up with strategies on how we are going reduce the level of GBV crimes,” said Mateisi.

She said they are fortunate that the provincial commissioner implemented the O Kae Molao Operation where they can mobilise resources from other stations to target areas that are reported to have a high level of crime.

Mateisi’s achievements

• Maj Gen Mateisi received her first award in 2005 when she was still the station commander at Boipatong as the station was counted among the top 10 performing stations.

• She was awarded the best cluster commander in the West Rand.

• Elected as the provincial woman’s network champion and she is the deputy national woman’s network champion, which is a structure that deals with GBV.

• In 2009, she was awarded the runner-up for the Gauteng provincial woman’s network champion prestige award. Later that year, she was awarded the Woman of the Year award.

• In 2013, she received another award for the runner-up in the provincial woman’s network prestige award in the Free State.

• In 2019, she was awarded the runner-up for the Woman of the Year award. She was also awarded the Vita Basadi Award by the provisional legislature.

Summary of Mateisi’s career

• Mateisi severed 19 years as a commander/manager

• Station commander for nine years in various police stations

• Cluster commander for five years.